Rick Stiebel/News Gazette staff
Keagan Tait is taking part in a coast to coast tour that aims to spread the word on the importance of human rights, diversity, sustainable development and conflict resolution.
Those principles are the four pillars of the Children’s International Summer Village, an initiative with chapters in 45 countries that promotes peace and cross-cultural understanding through programs for children, youth and adults.
While that may sound like a tall order for Tait, a 14-year-old Grade 9 student at Belmont secondary school, his involvement with CISV for the past five years has helped instill the values of the organization’s aforementioned pillars, as well as the importance of giving back through volunteering.
The Victoria branch of CISV meets once a month, and branches in participating countries hosting events each summer, which provided Tait with the opportunity to go to Holland when he was 11. “It was part of creating a global connection that’s in tune with the diversity pillar,” he explained.
Each of the 12 students taking part in the 39-day trip on the Peace Bus from Mile Zero in Victoria to Halifax for this year’s event has to arrange activities for the others in their home town, Tait said.
“I thought of a beach trip on the first day because they’ll be pretty tired after travelling to Victoria and some of them have never seen the ocean,” he noted. A tour of the Inner Harbour and downtown is planned for the next day, as well as some volunteering to clean up Willows Beach. Activities also include a four-hour shift helping out at the Rainbow Kitchen in Esquimalt, which prepares meals for those in need of a nutritious meal.
Although he’s been to the east coast once before, Tait said this trip will be special. “I’m very excited to see the country as part of the Canada 150 celebrations,” he said. “It’s going to be a great experience.”
In addition to his time with CISV, Tait enjoys performing with Belmont’s drum line, which placed fifth in a provincial competition in Abbotsford in April.
“It was a good chance to see where we’re at and test our skills,” said Tait, who took up the activity as one of his outside school courses.
“We were generally pretty happy with fifth place, considering it’s only the second year we’ve had a drum line. I love music and it’s a great way to make friends.”
Peace Bus drivers Emily Power and Sarah Cook, both from St. John’s, Newfoundland, said they are looking forward to the opportunity to work with youth while seeing the country. “The theme for the trip is human rights,” said Power, a registered social worker.
“The focus is on Canada as a settler nation deconstructing power and privilege,” added Cook, a communications and media graduate.